A Sweet Goodnight
by diamond-helen
Summary: A bit of Charlie/Hermione fluff, DH but not epilogue compliant


Hermione was stood outside Gringotts waiting for Ginny. She had been a few minutes early, yeah, but why did Ginny always have to be late? Half past two, not a particularly difficult time to be somewhere but it was now quarter to three and there was no sign of her red headed friend. Then through the crowds of people in Diagon Alley she spotted a flash of red hair. No, that was two flashes of red hair, the second attached to a well built young man. Hermione quickly tried to figure out which Weasley it was. It was unlikely to be Ron since he was apparently surgically attached to Lavender Brown's lips (according to Ginny and Harry's recent letters anyway), George, Percy and Bill would all be at work so that left Charlie. It was at this point in her thought process that the pair reached her.

"Hey Hermione, sorry I'm late but someone remembered he had shopping to do and needed to come with me and held me up forgive me?" Ginny said in one long rushed breath.

"Of course I forgive you, it gave me chance to people watch for a bit anyway I suppose." Laughed Hermione. It was impossible to stay angry at her friend, not to mention pointless since no matter what was said to her, or what she promised, Ginny was always late again the next time they were meant to be meeting up.

"Good, because like I said, it wasn't my fault, it was Charlie's. You guys remember each other don't you?" Ginny asked.

"Of course, it's good to see you again Charlie." Hermione said and smiled at him. _Yep_, she thought, _really good to see you_, after all when wasn't it good to see a handsome guy. Charlie was the second eldest Weasley, and the exciting, slightly dangerous one too. Hermione didn't know him as well as she did the other Weasleys, although they had met. Firstly at the Quidditch World Cup, years ago now, and then a few times since, during and after the war, although Charlie had spent most of the war doing work for the Order in Romania. However while she remembered the person, she didn't remember how gorgeous he was. Back at the world cup she had been in love with Ron and would have hardly noticed if Brad Pitt had been hanging around. Then during the war the only thing on her mind was helping Harry destroy Voldemort. Afterwards everyone was wrapped up in their own grief and pain, and she had been starting a new relationship with Ron anyway, so hadn't exactly been checking out his brother. Now though the war was a memory, as was her ill-fated and short lived romance with the youngest Weasley male.

"You too Hermione," Charlie replied, returning her smile. _Whoa, she's grown up since last time I bothered to really look at her._ Charlie was amazed at the difference from the awkward, buck toothed, bushy haired girl he had first met when she was fourteen, and even the care worn young woman he had glimpsed occasionally throughout the war. The twenty year old woman in front of him still had the mass of hair, but it somehow suited her better now. When coupled with her pretty smile and a toned but curvy figure, a figure shown off nicely in her denim skirt and blue vest top, she made a lovely sight in the summer sunshine. Suddenly Charlie was rather glad he had left shopping for his Mum's birthday present until the very last moment.

"Right, well now the reintroductions are done, we have some shopping to do," Ginny said enthusiastically. Charlie and Hermione shared amused grimaces. Much as they loved Ginny she could be rather overwhelming when she got into shopping mode.

It was several hours and countless shops later that the trio returned, heavy laden with bags, to the Burrow. Somewhere between Ginny trying on practically every item of clothing in her size in the entire of Diagon Alley, or at least that was how it felt to her shopping companions, and Charlie trying to find Molly a birthday present, he and Hermione had slipped into an easy sort of camaraderie. They teased one another and laughed together much as Hermione did with the other Weasley boys. But somehow it wasn't quite the same. When Charlie laughed at a silly outfit she tried on to pass the time, or tugged one of her curls in jest it made her tummy flutter in a way that the others doing the same thing just didn't. Frowning to herself as they entered the Burrow, Hermione tried to dismiss the feelings from her head. _You're just being silly girl. Just because Harry has Ginny and Ron has Lavender you're imagining feelings for Charlie. He's a Weasley, they're like siblings to you, it's nothing!_ However even while she tried to think away the way he made her smile and blush ever so slightly she couldn't help but hear the little voice in her head that was insisting that Charlie wasn't just another Weasley, that he had a gleam in his eyes and a sort of softness in his touch that his brothers didn't.

Dinner at the Burrow was as noisy and fun as always. Hermione realized she had missed the welcoming atmosphere recently, between university and rebuilding the still strained relationship with her parents it had been months since she attended a family dinner with the Weasleys. As always it felt like she had never been away. She gossiped with Ginny, updated Harry and Ron on her life and heard all about theirs, and chatted to Bill about the work on ancient Runes she was doing at Wizarding University. However it didn't seem to matter who she was talking to or what she was talking about, her eyes were constantly drawn to the dragon tamer at the other end of the table, who was telling his mum and Fleur about the baby dragons at the preserve. She watched him through dinner, and then later watched from the kitchen window where she was doing the washing up as Ginny and the boys made the most of the light summer evening by playing quidditch. She was so caught up in watching him that she didn't even hear as Molly and Fleur teased her about her unusual interest in the scenery. By the time they came in she had stopped denying to herself that she was attracted to him, and had instead resigned herself to admiring from a distance, thinking that was all she was likely to get.

Later on the family gathered in the cosy den of the Burrow, and Charlie found himself zoning out of his brothers' conversation to look at the woman curled up on the couch, half listening to Harry and Ginny and half reading. He found himself admiring the way her hair reflected the light in a range of shades of honey and brown and copper. Then he had to ask what he was doing, as Charlie Weasley was not the kind of man who admired light glinting off hair, or the laughter that shone out of soft brown eyes. He saw legs, and great bums and good curves, not the sappy stuff he caught himself admiring about Hermione. But then it occurred to him that Hermione wasn't like the other girls he met, not a hard dragon tamer or a cheap barmaid. She was classier that the barmaids and somehow, Merlin only knew how after everything she'd lived through, softer than the dragon taming females Charlie worked with. To him, although she was so different from his usual women, she was perfect. Now he had to gather his Gryffindor courage and tell her.

Gradually the den emptied, Bill and Fleur, Fred, and Percy left to go to their own homes. Ron left to take Lavender home, and Arthur and Molly went to bed. Not long after Harry and Ginny slipped off upstairs, leaving just Hermione and Charlie in the room. Hermione had long since become engrossed in her book, and hadn't even noticed that the room had emptied. Charlie was content to watch her a little longer, then decided to head for bed himself. But not before he had done something about Hermione.

He rose from his seat across the room and dropped down next to her, startling her.

"I think I'm going to call it a night as well" he said. At his words Hermione finally realized there was nobody there and blushed slightly.

"Night, then" she replied, looking back towards her book. She was surprised when, rather than standing to leave, Charlie leant towards her, and cupped her chin with his fingers. He turned her to face him and slowly closed the gap between them, kissing her firmly but gently, relieved and happy when she responded. He deepened the kiss for a moment and then drew away, before getting to his feet.

"What was that?" asked Hermione, dazed but pleased that she could hope that he did feel the same.

"Just a kiss goodnight" said Charlie, flashing her a smile before disappearing through the door and up the stairs. "Sweet dreams." She heard him call from the stair case. With a smile Hermione touched her fingers to her lips and knew her dreams would be sweet indeed.


End file.
